More young people get health information from the Internet
than use it to download music, play games, or check sports
scores, a new survey which is the first to look in depth at
how young people use the Internet for health purposes finds.
"Young people aren't just going online to download the
latest song from the Red Hot Chili Peppers or look for
information on George Clooney's latest movie," said Vicky
Rideout, the vice president of Kaiser Family Foundation and
director of the program. "They're also looking for information
on health issues that are really important to them."
The foundation polled 1,209 Americans aged 15 to 24 between
Sept. 24 and Oct. 31. It found three out of four young people
who use the Internet have searched for health and medical
information. In fact, the only activities that more young
people reported participating in were emailing, school
research, and finding news and entertainment information.
Online Sex Ed
Nearly half of the young people surveyed use the Internet
to access information on sexual health - not surprising,
considering that a vast majority listed sexual health issues
such as pregnancy, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted
diseases as being "very important." Drug abuse and sexual
assault were also considered "very important" topics by
roughly three out of four surveyed.
Experts agree that the confidentiality and convenience that
the Internet provides makes it a likely choice for young
people who might be too embarrassed to discuss sexual issues
with their parents or doctors.
Quality Information?
The survey also found that young people seem to be quite
savvy when it comes to discerning quality health information.
While almost all said Web information is useful, many reported
being skeptical about the quality of information.
Dr. Gretchen Berland, a professor of medicine at Yale
University, recommends a few strategies that can help young
users avoid bad information on the Internet:
Don't rely on just one source.
Try using government and medical association sites.
Look for references.
Be skeptical of sites that try to sell you something.
If you have questions, take them to someone you trust.
年轻人上网已不再仅仅是下载一些音乐，玩玩游戏或者查看一下体育比赛的比分。最新一项调查显示，越来越多的年轻人开始从网上获得健康方面的知识。这项调查首次深入调查了年轻人如何利用互联网来获得健康方面的知识。
恺撒家庭基金会副主席维奇·赖德奥特主持了这项调查，他说："现在的年轻人上网并不仅仅下载一些红辣椒乐队的新歌或者了解一些乔治·克鲁尼新片的消息，
他们从网上获得一些健康和医药知识，这对他们是非常重要的。"
恺撒家庭基金会对1209名年龄在15至24岁之间的美国青年进行了为期一周（从9月24日至10月31日）的跟踪调查。结果发现上网的年轻人中的四分之三都利用网络查询过健康和医药方面的信息。除了电子邮件，学校信息，新闻类信息和娱乐信息，被调查者最感兴趣的就是这方面的信息了。
在线性知识教育
近一半的被调查年轻人利用互联网获得性健康的知识。他们认为大部分性健康话题，例如"怀孕"、"艾滋"和其它传染性性疾病都很重要。约四分之三的被调查者还认为吸毒和性攻击的话题也很重要。
专家们也认为，大部分年轻人和家长或医生谈论有关性知识的话题会比较尴尬，而互联网隐秘和方便的特点使得年轻人乐意在此接受这方面的知识。
信息的可信度？
在问及网上健康信息的可信度时，年轻人都表现的很理智。虽然大家都认为网上的这部分信息是有用的，但很多人对这些信息的质量表示怀疑。
耶鲁大学医学教授格雷琴·贝兰博士向年轻的网民们提供了一些避免网上不良信息的建议：
不要依赖单一的信息来源；
尽量向政府和医疗协会主办的网站查询信息；
留心文章的参考资料；
对企图向你推销产品的网站保持警惕；
如果你遇到问题，不妨问问你信得过的人。
摘自中国日报网站(J-04)
